Tummy Tuck Perth | Abdominoplasty

What is an abdominoplasty?

An abdominoplasty (also known as a tummy tuck) involves removing excess abdominal skin and fat, tightening the underlying abdominal muscles, and using liposuction to change the contour of the abdomen.

There are several types of abdominoplasties:

Mini-abdominoplasty
Radical abdominoplasty: this is the most common
Massive weight loss abdominoplasties, such as circumferntial, or Fleur De Lis

Each type of abdominoplasty has its own indications, risks, scars, and recovery. During your consultation Dr Colbert discusses each of these different types in detail with you.

Is an abdominoplasty right for me?

You might be a good candidate for an abdominoplasty surgery if you:

Have excess skin or tissue around the tummy.
Have a weakening of your stomach muscles (rectus muscle diastasis).
Are not planning to become pregnant in the near future.
Are in good health, including not smoking
Are close to your ideal body weight.
Have realistic expectations

Revision abdominoplasty surgery can be difficult to perform, have a higher risk of complications, and a longer healing time. Therefore it is important to ensure the original abdominoplasty procedure has the highest chances of success by ensuring you meet as many as the above criteria as possible.

What does an abdominoplasty involve?

Dr Colbert performs abdominoplasty surgery by focusing on three main areas:

Skin removal: Dr Colbert removes excess abdominal tissue through a low incision, placed along the lower crease of your abdomen. Placing this incision low means the eventual scar is below your ‘underwear line’ or ‘bikini line’.
Fat removal: Dr Colbert uses liposuction to remove diet resistant areas of excess fat from your abdominal area.
Muscle repair: Pregnancy, or a history of excess abdominal fat, can result in your stomach muscle (rectus abdominis) separating apart from their normal position, also known as rectus muscle diastasis. Dr Colbert uses several layers of sutures to reposition and reenforce these abdominal muscles to their original position, resulting in less abdominal bulge.

What is the recovery after abdominoplasty surgery?

Abdominoplasty surgery takes approximately three to four hours, is performed under general anaesthesia (with you asleep), and involves you being admitted to hospital for a minimum of two nights.

Immediately after your surgery you are cared for by a dedicated nurse on the ward, with Dr Colbert reviewing you every day of your hospital stay.

Your wounds are dressed with a waterproof dressing, and two small silicon temporary drain tubes are used to help remove any extra fluid from the wound.

To help ensure proper healing it is important to take your time before returning to activities. Light activities (e.g. office job or light duties) can be recommenced after one to two weeks, while more strenuous activities and exercise can be gradually restarted after four to six weeks.

Wearing a supportive garment for several weeks also helps to reduce post surgery swelling.

Dr Colbert reviews you regularly during your recovery, helping to ensure you are healing well and to help detect any complications.

What are the risks associated with abdominoplasty surgery?

Infection
Bleeding or haematoma
Seroma (fluid build up)
Delayed wound healing, including delayed belly button healing
Asymmetry
Abnormal scarring, such as raised scars, or stretched scars
Changes in skin sensation in the lower abdomen
Unsatisfactory aesthetic outcome
Revision surgery
General surgery risks, such as deep vein thrombosis / lung clots
Abdominoplasty surgery is like any surgical procedures in that it carries risks – therefore before having any operation you should always speak to an appropriately qualified health practitioner about these potential risks.

How do I prepare for an abdominoplasty?

No nicotine containing products for at least 3 months before surgery.
Be at your ideal weight, and be relatively weight stable for at least 3 months.
Arrange for help at home for at least the first week.
Prepare a recovery area with pillows, compression garments, and medications.

Will an abdominoplasty help me lose weight?

No, an abdominoplasty is not a weight-loss procedure. It removes excess skin and fat but is best for patients who are at or near their goal weight.

How painful is an abdominoplasty?

Pain is moderate to severe in the first few days, but is managed with pain medications. In the second week pain is less severe and less frequent, and is managed with anti-inflammatory medications. From weeks three onwards pain is typically gone, but you may still feel tightness, or discomfort with only some activities.
Pain is more often caused by the muscle repair, than liposuction pain, or pain from the skin incision. Patients with a larger muscle repair typically have more tenderness, and may require longer to recover.

Do I need drains after an abdominoplasty?

Dr Colbert use drains to help reduce the risk of fluid buildup. One of these drains is removed before you are discharged, and the other drain is removed in the following days after discharge.

How much does an abdominoplasty cost?

Costs associated with abdominoplasty surgery can be very confusing. To help make things clearer we have listed the the following fees that make up the final cost.

Surgical fee: if you are troubled by excess abdominal tissue and have lost significant amounts of weight then Medicare and your private health fund may subsidise your abdominoplasty operation (item number 30166). Due to the nature of the operation there will be some out of pocket expenses, and Dr Colbert will discuss these costs with you during your consultation. A standard abdominoplasty surgical fee starts from $12000.
Anaesthetic fee: if you meet the criteria for an abdominoplasty item number 30166 then Medicare and your private health fund may also subsidise the anaesthetic fee. There will likely be an out of pocket gap to pay, however your Anaesthesist will discuss this with you before your operation.
Hospital fee (this includes operation room fee, bed costs, surgical or medication fees, and any other hospital extras): Medicare does not cover this fee. If you have private health insurance then this may be covered by your insurance fund, but you should check with your fund if there is any out of pocket expenses. If you have no private insurance then you will have to pay this fee on discharge from the hospital.

Why should you see Dr Colbert for your abdominoplasty surgery?

Dr Colbert MBBS FRACS (Plastic Surgery) is an Australian trained and fully qualified Specialist Plastic Surgeon.
Dr Colbert is one of only a few Specialist Plastic Surgeons in Australia who focuses exclusively on breast and body surgery.
Dr Colbert personally performs all surgery and aftercare himself, and doesn’t get surgical assistants or nurses to treat you during or after your operation.
Dr Colbert and his staff are renowned for their amazing patient care, delivered in a comfortable and stress-free environment.

Meet Dr Colbert

Where can I find out more?

To arrange to speak to Dr Colbert about abdominoplasty surgery please contact our friendly office staff.

Alternatively you can leave a message in our contact form.

Abdominoplasty